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Criminal Justice System

Former Cumberland County District Attorney Skip Ebert Passes Away At 76 Former Cumberland County District Attorney Skip Ebert Passes Away At 76
Former Cumberland County District Attorney Skip Ebert Passes Away At 76 Former Cumberland County District Attorney Merle "Skip" Ebert, known for his innovative contributions to the criminal justice system, has passed away at the age of 76, officials announced on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 4:45 p.m. Ebert, who also served as a judge, was deeply admired for his commitment to justice and reform. His legacy includes groundbreaking initiatives such as establishing investigative grand juries at the county level, creating Cumberland County’s Central Booking Center, and launching a Victim Services Division within the District Attorney's Office to support crime victims navigati…
Peekskill Resident ID'd As Victim In Triple-Fatal Random NYC Stabbing Spree Peekskill Resident ID'd As Victim In Triple-Fatal Random NYC Stabbing Spree
Peekskill Resident ID'd As Victim In Triple-Fatal Random NYC Stabbing Spree Two men and a woman were killed in a random stabbing spree in Manhattan that left one other person seriously injured. A suspect, identified as Ramon Rivera, age 51, was apprehended with two kitchen knives and clothes stained in blood after the incidents happened late Monday morning, Nov. 18, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny. Northern Westchester County resident Angel Lata Landi, age 36, of Peekskill, was standing in front of a construction site at 444 West 19th Street near Chelsea at around 8:20 a.m. when Rivera approached him without speaking and stabbed him in the abdome…
Virginia Stabbing Suspect First To Be Convicted Based On Drone Evidence In Montgomery County Virginia Stabbing Suspect First To Be Convicted Based On Drone Evidence In Montgomery County
Virginia Stabbing Suspect First To Be Convicted Based On Drone Evidence In Montgomery County For the first time, investigators in Montgomery County have secured a conviction largely through evidence collected by drones.  Fairfax County resident Jovan Ali, 45, was found guilty by a jury of second-degree assault in connection to a stabbing in April. Prosecutors say that on April 17, Ali was involved in an altercation near the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Sligo Avenue in Silver Spring, which was witnessed by a Montgomery County Police officer. There was also a Montgomery County Police drone above that captured Ali pulling a knife from his pocket and stabbing an adult male …
'Not Justice': Family Angered After Drug Dealer Behind Copiague Man's Death Dodges Prison 'Not Justice': Family Angered After Drug Dealer Behind Copiague Man's Death Dodges Prison
'Not Justice': Family Angered After Drug Dealer Behind Copiague Man's Death Dodges Prison Prosecutors and relatives are outraged after an admitted drug dealer was allowed to dodge prison despite selling the fentanyl that killed a Long Island man. Omar Aitcheson, age 31, of North Amityville, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance in Suffolk County Court on Tuesday, Aug. 13. According to prosecutors, Aitcheson sold a mix of fentanyl and tramadol to three Copiague men who thought they were buying cocaine in October 2023. Earlier Report: Deadly Cocktail: Long Island Dealer's Fentanyl Mix Kills Man, Causes 2 Other Overdoses, DA Says Fen…
Man Gets Lengthy Sentence For Christmas Homicide Man Gets Lengthy Sentence For Christmas Homicide
Man Gets Lengthy Sentence For Christmas Homicide A 40-year-old Newark man whose case happened in the midst of an overhaul of New Jersey's criminal justice system was sentenced on Monday, July 22, to 68 years in prison for  2016 Christmas morning killing, authorities said. Habeeb Robinson was convicted in June of aggravated manslaughter, weapons possession and witness tampering in the death of Hassan Cobb-Jones, a 32-year-old Newark resident, Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens, II said. He was sentenced to 50 years for the homicide and 18 years for witness tampering, Stephens said. Cobb-Jones was shot in a van on the 100 block …
Mentally Ill Lancaster Man Gets Prison Sentence For Attacks On Officials Mentally Ill Lancaster Man Gets Prison Sentence For Attacks On Officials
Mentally Ill Lancaster Man Gets Prison Sentence For Attacks On Officials A former high school quarterback has struggled with his mental health since he was 19-years-old; he has been in and out of the prison system ever since. Now, he has pleaded guilty to multiple assaults while in a "psychotic state," public records show and the Lancaster District Attorney's Office announced on June 27.  Jamail Robertson, 27 of Lancaster, was once a QB and DB on J.P. McCaskey's Varsity football team, according to his 2014 MaxPreps profile. On Thursday morning, Judge Margaret Miller sentenced him to return to prison after being sentenced to 2 ¼ to 5 years for assaulting…
Waltham Man Who Offered $200 For Sex With 12-Year-Old Gets 15 Years In Prison: Feds Waltham Man Who Offered $200 For Sex With 12-Year-Old Gets 15 Years In Prison: Feds
Waltham Man Who Offered $200 For Sex With 12-Year-Old Gets 15 Years In Prison: Feds A 38-year-old Waltham man who reached out to an online ad for sex with a child in an undercover sting will spend the next 15 years behind bars, authorities announced on Thursday, June 20.  Misael Fabian Medina was convicted of one count of attempted sex trafficking of a child and one count of attempted coercion and enticement, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said.  Investigators said Medina responded to an online ad offering sex with two young girls in November 2022. In a text exchange with the people he believed were selling the children, Medina offered $200 to have sex wi…
NJ Murder Suspect Caught Up In 'Criminal Justice Overhaul' Convicted In 2016 Christmas Killing NJ Murder Suspect Caught Up In 'Criminal Justice Overhaul' Convicted In 2016 Christmas Killing
NJ Murder Suspect Caught Up In 'Criminal Justice Overhaul' Convicted In 2016 Christmas Killing A 40-year-old Newark man whose case happened in the midst of an overhaul of New Jersey's criminal justice system has been convicted in 2016 Christmas morning killing, authorities said. Habeeb Robinson was convicted of aggravated manslaughter, weapons possession and witness tampering in the death of Hassan Cobb-Jones, a 32-year-old Newark resident, Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens, II said. Cobb-Jones was shot in a van on the 100 block of Parker Street, Stephens said. Robinson's case was more complicated, as it was happening at the turn of major changes under New Jersey's…
Video Evidence Exonerates 16-Year-Old For Deadly SEPTA Shooting, DA Says Video Evidence Exonerates 16-Year-Old For Deadly SEPTA Shooting, DA Says
Video Evidence Exonerates 16-Year-Old For Deadly SEPTA Shooting, DA Says A Philadelphia teen who was previously charged in the murder of Tyshaun Welles has been cleared of any wrongdoing, the District Attorney's Office says.  Zaire Wilson, 16, was arrested shortly after Welles was shot at the 15th Street SEPTA Station in Center City on Jan. 11, police have said.  Eighteen-year-old Quadir Humphrey was also taken into custody for the shooting in a separate arrest, authorities said at the time.  Now, the District Attorney's Office says SEPTA surveillance video shows Wilson "was clearly not involved in the shooting and murder of Welles." The vid…
Man Sucker-Punches Officer, Breaks His Nose In Yonkers: Police Man Sucker-Punches Officer, Breaks His Nose In Yonkers: Police
Man Sucker-Punches Officer, Breaks His Nose In Yonkers: Police Officials in a Westchester County city are calling for bail reform following the quick release of a man who was arrested for sucker punching an officer in his face and breaking his nose, police said. Johnny McCray, age 39, was arrested on Wednesday night, Sept. 6 on assault charges after punching an officer in the face, according to Yonkers Police.  On the night of the incident, police responded to Yonkers Avenue in the area of Cypress Street on reports of a man lying down on the sidewalk. There, arriving officers found a man identified as McCray, who they confirmed was still breathing.  …
Jersey City Man Wrongly Serving 30 Years For Mugging Victim's Murder Cleared After 16 Years Jersey City Man Wrongly Serving 30 Years For Mugging Victim's Murder Cleared After 16 Years
Jersey City Man Wrongly Serving 30 Years For Mugging Victim's Murder Cleared After 16 Years A Jersey City man serving a 30-year prison sentence for killing an elderly mugging victim in 2003 was released after state authorities re-examined the circumstances of his conviction. Dion Miller, 54, was released on Thursday, July 27, after 16 years behind bars thanks to a re-investigation that he requested from one of the nation’s first statewide conviction review units. Jurors in Jersey City had convicted Miller in 2007 of felony murder, robbery and weapons offenses in the death of 74-year-old Romeo Cavero outside a Van Nostrand Avenue senior citizens’ building in January 2003. Cavero w…
Westchester Fatal Shootings: Review Into Deaths Of DJ Henry, Kenneth Chamberlain Concludes Westchester Fatal Shootings: Review Into Deaths Of DJ Henry, Kenneth Chamberlain Concludes
Westchester Fatal Shootings: Review Into Deaths Of DJ Henry, Kenneth Chamberlain Concludes A review of two fatal police-involved shootings in Westchester, including the death of former Pace University football player Danroy "DJ" Henry Jr., has concluded with no new evidence found to convene juries for either incident, officials said.  The independent reviews of the two incidents, which included the shooting deaths of DJ Henry and Kenneth Chamberlain, Sr. in 2010 and 2011, respectively, were announced to be concluded by Westchester District Attorney Miriam Rocah on Wednesday, July 26.  According to Rocah's office, the reviews both found no new evidence to resubmit n…
Criminal Investigation Into Mount Vernon PD Ends With No Charges: DA Criminal Investigation Into Mount Vernon PD Ends With No Charges: DA
Criminal Investigation Into Mount Vernon PD Ends With No Charges: DA This story has been corrected. Officials are seeking to reverse drug-related charges and convictions of 27 people after the Westchester District Attorney's Office found a number of inconsistencies and errors involved in their prosecution that were also related to a criminal investigation into a police department in the county.  A total of 27 individuals were either charged or convicted for allegedly selling drugs to a Westchester County Police/Department of Public Safety undercover officer during a 2017 narcotics operation conducted by the Mount Vernon Police Department, acco…
Officer Who Threatened To Choke, Kill Teen During Struggle In Baltimore Convicted Of Assault Officer Who Threatened To Choke, Kill Teen During Struggle In Baltimore Convicted Of Assault
Officer Who Threatened To Choke, Kill Teen During Struggle In Baltimore Convicted Of Assault A Baltimore Police Department officer who threatened to choke and kill a minor during an altercation could spend up to a decade behind bars with some of the criminals he helped lock up. On Wednesday, March 29, former BPD officer Maxwell Dundore was convicted by a Baltimore City judge of second-degree assault and misconduct in office following a 2020 incident involving then 17-year-old Bobby Adams. Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates said that while on duty, in uniform on April 27, 2020, Dundore was working for the department when he was called to the 2800 block of Mayfield Avenue wit…
Serial Rapist Gets Life In Prison For Targeted Ground-Level Apartment Sexual Assaults In DC Serial Rapist Gets Life In Prison For Targeted Ground-Level Apartment Sexual Assaults In DC
Serial Rapist Gets Life In Prison For Targeted Ground-Level Apartment Sexual Assaults In DC A serial rapist was hit with two life sentenced for home invasion sexual assaults committed in Washington, DC three years apart, federal authorities announced. DC resident Ronald P. Berton, 48, will spend the rest of his life behind bars after being sentenced to life without the possible release, plus 27 years for a June 2010 home invasion and sexual assault. Additionally, a judge gave him a second life sentence without the possibility of release for an October 2007 home invasion and sexual assault of a second woman. Berton’s downfall came during an investigation into the 2010 sexual assa…
Inmate Beat, Choked Corrections Officer Unconscious At Capital Region Jail, Police Say Inmate Beat, Choked Corrections Officer Unconscious At Capital Region Jail, Police Say
Inmate Beat, Choked Corrections Officer Unconscious At Capital Region Jail, Police Say A jail inmate in the region is facing attempted murder charges stemming from a brutal, unprovoked attack on a corrections officer, authorities said. The incident happened Wednesday evening, Jan. 4, at the Rensselaer County jail in Troy, according to the sheriff’s office. Investigators said Matthew Fluty, of Troy, “maliciously” attacked the unsuspecting officer after taking his two-way radio to prevent him from calling for help. The officer was overpowered, beaten, and choked to the point of unconsciousness. Fluty then reportedly left the officer lying helpless on the jail’s upper-level flo…
Don't Say 'Inmate': NY Law Changes Term For Those Housed In State Prisons Don't Say 'Inmate': NY Law Changes Term For Those Housed In State Prisons
Don't Say 'Inmate': NY Law Changes Term For Those Housed In State Prisons Convicted criminals who spend time in New York prisons will no longer be officially referred to as “inmates.” Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a new law Monday, Aug. 8, that replaces the word “inmate” in state law with “incarcerated individual.” The governor’s office said the language change is meant to reduce stigma against people involved in the criminal justice system and eliminate barriers to opportunities that they face. “Individuals impacted by the criminal justice system have long noted that terms such as felon, inmate, prisoner, and convict dehumanize individuals and perpetuate the idea th…
Convicted PA Murderer Who Was Supposed To Get Death Sentence Ran Drug Ring In Jail: DA Convicted PA Murderer Who Was Supposed To Get Death Sentence Ran Drug Ring In Jail: DA
Convicted PA Murderer Who Was Supposed To Get Death Sentence Ran Drug Ring In Jail: DA A convicted murderer in Pennsylvania who was supposed to get the death sentence was sentenced to nearly 10 to 40 years in state prison for running a drug ring inside a Bucks County jail, authorities announced Friday, April 22. Alfonso Sanchez, 40, was in the county correctional facility awaiting a retrial in a 2007 double homicide when he conspired with at least 10 others to smuggle suboxone from May 2020 to December 2020, the Bucks County District Attorney's Office said. An investigation by BCCF investigators and the Bucks County Detectives Drug Strike Force discovered that Sanchez was buy…
Capitol Rioter From NY Accidentally Admits To More Felonies While Representing Himself In Court Capitol Rioter From NY Accidentally Admits To More Felonies While Representing Himself In Court
Capitol Rioter From NY Accidentally Admits To More Felonies While Representing Himself In Court A rioter from New York who participated in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the US Capitol got himself in hotter water after representing himself in court and will now face fresh charges. Brandon Fellows, a 27-year-old former high school wrestling standout who attended Hudson Valley Community College, accidentally admitted to two more felonies. Original story - Ex-NY HS Wrestling Standout Who Smoked Pot In Senator's Office Says He Has No Regrets For Riot According to reports, Fellows admitted that he prepared for an evidentiary hearing, not a bond hearing as he appeared before the court “pr…
Details Emerge On Drive-By Shooting With Multiple Injuries In Westchester Details Emerge On Drive-By Shooting With Multiple Injuries In Westchester
Details Emerge On Drive-By Shooting With Multiple Injuries In Westchester Four people were injured, one critically, in a drive-by shooting in Westchester that police said could potentially be gang-related. Shots rang out at approximately 4:15 p.m. on Thursday, June 11 at the intersection of Elm Street and Oak Street in Yonkers, a police spokesperson said, after a passenger in a passing vehicle stuck his head out of a window and opened fire in an incident caught on video. Original story - Multiple Gunshot Victims Reported By Police In Yonkers Yonkers Police Commissioner John Mueller said the incident appears to be related to gang activity and was not a random ac…
Feds: Ex-Con Shot Two Victims Five Days Apart In Newark Feds: Ex-Con Shot Two Victims Five Days Apart In Newark
Feds: Ex-Con Shot Two Victims Five Days Apart In Newark Surveillance video shows one of two shootings that federal authorities say were committed by a Newark ex-con who was caught with a loaded gun and 626 heroin folds. The victims were shot five days apart last August by Antoine Hawkins, a 31-year-old repeat offender with an extensive criminal record, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Police nabbed Hawkins a month later and found him carrying a 9mm Springfield Armory XDM pistol loaded with 19 rounds, the U.S. attorney said. A warranted search of his home turned up the heroin, as well as three 9mm magazines, she said. Hawkins, who ha…
32-Year-Old Man Convicted Of Committing Violent Rape In Area 32-Year-Old Man Convicted Of Committing Violent Rape In Area
32-Year-Old Man Convicted Of Committing Violent Rape In Area A local man has been found guilty of committing a violent rape in 2019. Ulster County resident Andrew Sturgill, age 32, of the Village of Ellenville, was convicted on Tuesday, April 13, of unlawfully entering the victims’ home and having sexual intercourse with her while she was incapacitated, said Ulster County District Attorney David Clegg. It was the first jury trial conducted in the Ulster County Court since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The case arose from an incident that occurred on Sunday, Sept. 8, 2019, in the Village of Ellenville.  Village of Ellenville police a…
Gloucester Ex-Convict Charged With Sexually Assaulting More Minors Gloucester Ex-Convict Charged With Sexually Assaulting More Minors
Gloucester Ex-Convict Charged With Sexually Assaulting More Minors A convicted sex offender who was sentenced last year to five years probation has been newly charged with sexually assaulting minors in two South Jersey counties,  authorities said. Scott Bicking, 54, of Paulsboro was charged Monday with sexual assault and endangering the welfare of child, according to the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office. Bicking was being held in the Cumberland County Correctional Facility in Bridgeton after his Jan. 25 arrest by the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office. He was charged with the latest offenses out of Gloucester County while in jail and will…
Atlantic County Shooter Gets 40 Years In State Prison For Killing 1, Wounding 3 Atlantic County Shooter Gets 40 Years In State Prison For Killing 1, Wounding 3
Atlantic County Shooter Gets 40 Years In State Prison For Killing 1, Wounding 3 A 29-year-old man from South Jersey was sentenced to 40 years in state prison for a shooting at an Atlantic County apartment complex that left one man dead and three hurt, authorities said. Matthew Gonzalez of Mays Landing was convicted by a jury in March on multiple charges, including aggravated manslaughter, aggravated assault, weapons offenses, attempted bribery and witness tampering, according to Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon G. Tyner. Gonzalez must serve 21 years and three months in prison before being eligible for parole, Tyner said. The Sept. 24, 2017. fatal shooting stemmed…
Cuomo Places Blame For NY Down-Ballot Democratic Losses On De Blasio Cuomo Places Blame For NY Down-Ballot Democratic Losses On De Blasio
Cuomo Places Blame For NY Down-Ballot Democratic Losses On De Blasio The war of words between Democratic rivals Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Gov. Bill de Blasio has escalated following some disappointing results for Democrats in this week’s elections. Cuomo blamed de Blasio for the state’s down-ballot difficulties in New York, arguing that the mayor’s job performance served as ammunition for the other side of the aisle in races on Long Island and upstate New York that went to Republicans. “The Democrats: there’ll be havoc like in New York City,” Cuomo said in an interview on WAMC Radio in Albany. “They ran de Blasio’s picture all over the state. They’…
Westchester DA Tony Scarpino Concedes To Primary Challenger  Mimi Rocah Westchester DA Tony Scarpino Concedes To Primary Challenger  Mimi Rocah
Westchester DA Tony Scarpino Concedes To Primary Challenger Mimi Rocah Westchester County will have a new District Attorney come November. Incumbent District Attorney Anthony Scarpino, Jr. conceded the Democratic Primary to former federal prosecutor and MSNBC analyst Mimi Rocah on Thursday, July 16. Scarpino’s concession comes more than three weeks after the primary on Tuesday, June 23, which was slowed by thousands of mail-in ballots that had to be counted due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. “I am tremendously honored to be able to declare victory today in the Democratic Primary for Westchester District Attorney after three weeks with more than…
Results So Far Point To Victory In Westchester DA Race, Rocah Campaign Says Results So Far Point To Victory In Westchester DA Race, Rocah Campaign Says
Results So Far Point To Victory In Westchester DA Race, Rocah Campaign Says Ballots are still being counted, but the Westchester County District Attorney’s race could already be decided, according to challenger Mimi Rocah. Rocha’s camp is declaring victory, saying that her winning margin on Election Day “leaves little hope for incumbent (District Attorney) Tony Scarpino" in what was expected to be a tight race. “With tens of thousands of paper ballots yet to be counted and a week for additional ballots to arrive, the results are not expected to be finalized for several weeks,” she wrote in an email. "However, the strength of her winning margin on Election Day …
Meet Warren County's Next Acting Prosecutor, Former Superior Court Judge James Pfeiffer Meet Warren County's Next Acting Prosecutor, Former Superior Court Judge James Pfeiffer
Meet Warren County's Next Acting Prosecutor, Former Superior Court Judge James Pfeiffer Warren County law enforcement will soon have a new acting prosecutor: Former Superior Court Judge James Pfeiffer. The Lehigh Valley attorney will assume the role Nov. 1. Current Warren County Prosecutor Richard Burke, in the role since 2012, will take a position within the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability under New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal. “Jim Pfeiffer has deep roots in Warren County, where he grew up and where he has had a very distinguished legal career," Grewal said.  "His three decades in private practice have included extensive work as both a crimi…
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Westchester Congressman Not As Well-Known At Home As On House Floor Westchester Congressman Not As Well-Known At Home As On House Floor
Westchester Congressman Not As Well-Known At Home As On House Floor U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel has been drawing plenty of primetime national attention while holding congressional hearings and giving speeches about foreign policy and impeachment on the floor of the House of Representatives. Yet all of that anti-President Trump publicity has not translated into higher public opinion numbers back home in Westchester and the Bronx, according to a new poll from Data for Progress. Engel has been a member of Congress for more than three decades, yet half of all poll respondents could not name Engel’s ideology. And six of every 10 registered Democrats said they aren’t s…
10 High School Students Graduate While In Westchester County Custody 10 High School Students Graduate While In Westchester County Custody
10 High School Students Graduate While In Westchester County Custody County custody didn’t hold back the 10 students who received their high school diplomas at a commencement ceremony at Westchester County Department of Correction on Friday, July 12. The ceremony was held at the jail’s Albert Memorial Chapel and attended by family, mentors and other invited guests. Each of the students donned their bright blue caps and gowns while ‘Pomp and Circumstance’ played. Evangelist Vicki Mills and Sprain Brook Academy principal Dr. Michelle Darby started the ceremony with an invocation and opening remarks. Darby, holding back tears, made note of the close bonds forme…
New York State Police Will No Longer Release Most Mugshots New York State Police Will No Longer Release Most Mugshots
New York State Police Will No Longer Release Most Mugshots New Yorkers will soon have a more difficult time getting a look at the faces of alleged crimes. Due to a new state measure as part of the latest budget approval process pushed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New York State Police announced on Wednesday that troopers and investigators will no longer release mugshots, nor will they be provided through the state Freedom of Information Law. New York State Police trooper James O’Callaghan, a spokesman for the department in western New York, issued a statement on Wednesday, April 10 confirming the change.  “Effective immediately, NYSP will NOT includ…